Intel to set up Smart Device Innovation Center in Shenzhen

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced the company’s plans to set up an Intel Smart Device Innovation Center in Shenzhen and $100 million Intel Capital China Smart Device Innovation Fund.

The chip vendor will begin offering Intel Edison, a computing platform first imagined in Intel research labs in China.

He also announced availability of the Intel Gateway Solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) based on Intel Quark and Atom processors, and demonstrated SoFIA, Intel’s first integrated mobile SoC platform for entry and value smartphones and tablets.

Intel Smart Device Innovation Center in Shenzhen will accelerate the delivery of Intel technology-based devices to the China market and beyond.

The center will expand Intel’s work beyond tablets and provide local OEMs, ODMs, and software developers with access to Intel platforms and enabling support, including master reference designs for turnkey solutions, development tools, supply chain sourcing, quality management and customer support.

The US$100 million Intel Capital China Smart Device Innovation Fund will focus on accelerating innovation of smart devices, including 2 in 1s, tablets, smartphones, wearables, IoT and other related technologies in China.

Since 1998, Intel Capital has invested more than $670 million in 110 companies in China across two investment funds.

Intel is also developing its SoFIA family of integrated mobile SoCs for entry and value smartphones and tablets.

Intel’s SoFIA 3G platform is on track to ship to OEMs in the fourth-quarter of 2014.

Krzanich also said that Intel is on track to ship 40 million tablets this year, and showcased a variety of innovative designs developed in China by OEMs and ODMs.

Krzanich announced availability of the Intel Gateway Solutions for IoT, an integrated solution based on Intel Quark and Atom processors, in addition to an Intel Galileo-based development platform. These platforms will help businesses reduce costs and offer new services by unlocking valuable data from legacy systems that traditionally haven’t had a means to communicate with each other and the cloud.